


Electric Feel

by SaraPhoenix14



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: According to his friends, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, It's not like it's gonna happen anytime soon, Jack is lost, Jungle Kingdom, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Post-Borderlands 2, Rhys as a prince, Rhys has superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-11-29 00:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11429352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraPhoenix14/pseuds/SaraPhoenix14
Summary: After the events of Borderlands 2, the awakening of the Warrior and Jack's "supposed death", Jack finds himself on a planet called Ayé. Confused by his surroundings, he decides to venture out into the unknown jungle, only to find himself in a rather odd situation with the prince of the jungle.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first ever fic on this website. :) I haven't written anything for the past half year and since I decided to come back to writing, I thought about sharing this here as well. Keep in mind that this is my first Rhack fic and that I'm not a native English-speaker. The chapters will be short, something between 1k-3k words. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this silly story! :D

Tall purple trees swaying from side to side, the sound of buzzing bugs filling the rather quiet atmosphere. All except for the light snoring of a man, head buried in the pink grass. His arms sticking out in a rather uncomfortable position, half of his right leg wet from the small stream of crystal blue water. A low, annoyed moan escaped the man's open mouth, his heterochromatic eyes slowly fluttering open. First emotion, confusion.

The misty air did not seem familiar to the man, nor did the orange-red sky. He seemed puzzled by the flora that surrounded him, it was nothing like he's ever seen before and that certainly meant something to the CEO of Hyperion, alright. But when he remembered what happened before he suddenly woke up in this crazy biome, he could only pull out the grass from the ground from frustration.

Those bandist, how dare they. He had it all in his hands, the power to control Pandora. And then some wannabe little "heroes" come and destroy everything? What did they think? That they can end the era of _Handsome Jack_? That they can just barge in and wreck everything that he's worked on? All this time dedicated to that shithole of a planet. He wanted to make it better, wanted to change it for the best but those idiots could not hold down their urge to kill what doesn't agree with them for just a second.

Oh how he looked forward to his revenge. He would awake the Warrior once again. However, first he needed to get out of whatever this was.

"Okay, Jack, first you're going to connect with the station, send down a ship and get back up there to finish what you started." Jack said, mostly to himself (well, only to himself since all of the other living organisms seemed to have a brain the size of a pinhead.) He grabbed the small ECHO device from the pocket of his jacket, turning it on only to find out what he feared the most: "No signal? Come on, you stupid thing. Your point of existence isn't to be useless. _Work!_ " He smacked the device a few times, to no avail. A man like him should know that smacking an electronic wouldn't work, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Great. A-mazing. Briliant. You've outdone yourselves, Vault Hunters! You can come out now, the joke is over!" Jack yelled around himself, obviously not happy about his current situation. 'This has to be some kind of a prank, right?' he thought, 'Vault Hunters ruin my plans, Vault Hunters beat me to an almost certain death, Vault Hunters capture me and put me in some kind of big cage for all to see. Come and see the only Handsome Jack, captured by our oh so heroic Vault Hunters! Yeah right.'

Since his frustrated screams didn't catch anyone's attention, Jack decided to venture out into the unknown wilderness of whatever this colorful mess was. He still occasionally checked his ECHO machine while trying to find a way out. Turns out this colorful mess was a more of a colorful maze. He was pretty sure he passed that exact red tree with the exact weird monkey thing looking at him at least 3 times now.

"Eh, it's probably nothing." He said as he passed the tree for the 5th time. But he wasn't going to make the same mistake for the 6th time, he wasn't that stupid.

Okay, maybe he was. But it only took him some screaming into the void to finally realize that he should just stop avoiding the weirdly blue river right next to him and cross it once and for all. There was no bridge anywhere nearby, so that was the last option.

"Okay, it's not that deep. Thank god. Can't wait till I get my wet feet even wetter, oh I'm so looking forward to that." he sassed himself, the hours of being lost, hungry and alone finally getting to him, "I'm going to enjoy strangling the person that came up with the idea to put m--" he stopped mid-sentence, almost falling over a rock or something, "God-- deeper than I thought... And what the fuck are you supposed to be?" he sweared, his annoyance getting the better out of him.

A yellow light swam around his feet, something like a fish... or was it an eel? Eels weren't supposed to light up like that, right? There were more of them coming towards him, all lit up in yellow and white. Jack didn't know what to do, staying in the water seemed dangerous, but the fish haven't done anything to him yet. Altough running out of the water seemed like the next best idea, he didn't want to risk anything.

"God, I should've just checked the water before diving right in." He smacked himself across his forehead, "Idiot, stupid fucking idiot." The fish seemed to ignore him completely, swimming in one direction, which was against the current of the river. "That's..." he couldn't even finish his sentence as he looked after the fish, spotting some source of light appearing out of the water. It was human-shaped, tall and blue-colored. He slowly followed the fish, the light tugging at the feeling of curiosity in the back of his mind.

"Uh, hello?" he called after the light, receiving no answer, "Yeah, not gonna get an answer from some kind of magical light, how rude." Jack scoffed while moving closer to the light. He was just a few steps from it, when the light swirled around, the fish swimming happily around it.

With the light, Jack felt... at ease. For the first time in years. He blamed it on the weird warmth the light let out, or maybe even the faint silhouette of a person inside it, which meant that he wasn't alone like he thought.

That's one of the things Jack hated the most, loneliness. He'd never admit it, but his ex-girlfriends and ex-wives knew just how clingy he could get. Whenever he was up on Helios, he'd surround himself with people (he hated) either during meetings or other activities. That's how he avoided it.

But now, when he was here, all alone, it was biting at him from inside his own mind, laughing, mocking his hope of finding someone else out here. That light, it washed away all loneliness. Jack wanted to reach out with his fingers, touch it, let it consume him with its warmth.

But at the same time, he felt pathetic 'Nothing good comes out of a random light in the middle of a river, Jack. Get over it.' his mind told him over and over again as he stared at the swirling blue light. The person inside seemed at peace... a peace he wanted so badly.

"Fuck it." were his last words before his fingers reached the person's shoulder, shaking him awake. Two pairs of heterochromatic eyes staring at each other, mouths hanging wide open as one was shocked from fear and the other from the electric touch, quite literally. There was still some electricity running through Jack's body as he lost his touch with the person, falling over to the river underneath him.


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh no," Rhys said, his wide eyes staring at the man falling down in front of him, "Nonononono," he grabbed the man by his shirt, all of his strenght put into not letting the man drown, "don't... don't fall. Oh god. Rhys.." he said to himself, "why can't you have anything nice? Why does this have to happen to you?"

Okay, he was screwed. No one was supposed to know he was here, he didn't even tell Vaughn or Loader Bot. Oh they're going to be so angry at him. "Why does everything have to fuck up for me?" Rhys pitied himself. He tried carrying the man out of the water. Emphasis on the word tried. It took him nearly 10 minutes before he even managed to get the man standing on his feet, as much as he could with him passed out.

DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE.

"Oh, Loader Bot... uh, what are you doing here, buddy?" Rhys asked the robot, startled by his presence, the unknown man's body laying on the ground, behind his feet. Loader Bot stared at him with his one eye, the red light like a warning sign to those who didn't know him. The yellow paint on his torso fading day by day.

I AM YOUR GUARDIAN. I AM OBLIGATED TO PROTECT YOU.

"Oh yeah, I always forget that bit." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "Well, uh, I.. I was walking in the woods, you see.. and I, uh, I heard someone yelling for help."

IS THAT THE REASON YOU'RE ONLY WEARING CLOTHES ON THE LOWER PART OF YOUR PUNY HUMAN BODY.

"I...."

DO NOT WORRY. I AM NOT REQUIRED TO TELL YOUR FATHER YOUR EXACT LOCATION. YOUR WELL-BEING IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

Rhys sighed in relief, grateful for the robot's loyalty: "Thanks, Loader Bot. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I AM AWARE OF THAT. HOWEVER, I CANNOT LET YOU BRING THIS PERSON INTO OUR VILLAGE IN THEIR CURRENT STATE.

"And why's that? I mean, he looks harmless to me." Rhys looked at the sleeping man, who was now snoring lightly.

FOR NOW. WE DON'T KNOW WHO HE IS OR WHAT HE IS CAPABLE OF DOING ONCE HE'S AWAKE.

"Then what do you suggest we do, huh? Lock him up like a prisoner?" Rhys rolled his eyes at the robot, his arms crossed across his chest. The robot was quiet for a while, as if processing the information he was given.

THAT IDEA SEEMS LIKE OUR BEST OPTION.

"Seriously?" He smacked himself across his forehead, "I didn't mean it like that. Come on, we can't just do that!" Rhys pleaded, but the robot has already made the decision when he picked up the man from the ground, throwing him across his "shoulder". Rhys sighed heavily, following the robot towards the path that would lead them back to their village. "At least be gentle." He called after the robot.

  
It all seemed surreal to him, having Loader Bot right by his side. Just until 5 years ago, there weren't any robots. His father used to tell him tales about how the world used to be filled with machines, tall buildings and new technology. However, that was a long time ago, even before he was born. There was a virus in the system, they thought, that made the machines go hayware. People were killed in the panic that arose, buildings were destroyed in hopes of wiping off the mess of machines from this planet. After all of that, only three nations survived.

Rhys lived in the land of Oya, named after the deity that might have protected them during the "mayhem of machines" as old folk around the village liked to call it. It was one of the more peaceful nations, having only what nature gave them for survival. They weren't savages, they knew how to use what was left from their predecessors.

The buildings were made of the most durable wood in the land, it could last for generations, and they were built so precisely around the tall trees that they didn't harm the ecosystem. It was great to see how much they've improved over the past years.

However, with the knowledge burned in ashes, they've lost a lot of information about modern technology. They were so close to a breakthrough, but they were missing one thing. The land of Obatala, another one of the three nations, has launched a satellite many years ago, as part of a negotiation with the land of Oya.

They didn't know what it did at first, unable to understand the technology of the land of Obatala. Years later, there was a crash on the surface of their land. It was a shock at first, when they saw the big yellow crates fall from the sky. Everyone rushed towards the place of their landing. The crates were filled with robots that looked exactly like Loader Bot, but as soon as the crates opened, all of the robots seemed to turn off by themselves. They were damaged, parts of them already broken. Only one of them survived, in the back of one of the containers. His legs torn out of his torso, his arms twisted behind him. He saw it all, how they all went hayware before they even entered the atmosphere of the planet.

The villagers decided to repair Loader Bot, but parts of him were missing. To be specific, it was his memory. His system could not be fully accessed, locked by whoever sent him on the mission. However, it became loyal to the king. And when the king's son was born, Loader Bot became his guardian.

Loader Bot and Rhys, along with the unexpected guest from a "completely different world" (Rhys judged, considering how overdressed the man was), made their way to the entrance of the village, when they were met with a sight of a very pissed Vaughn.

"Where were you for the past 2 hours? I managed to go through the whole village, ask everyone without alerting your father. I even had to ask Fiona and Sasha for help and you know how much I hate asking..." Vaughn let it all out, his angry eyes looking right at the duo... or more of a trio now, "Who is that?"

"That's Loader Bot." Rhys answered truthfully, completely ignoring the fact that that's not what Vaughn meant. "No, who is that person that LB is carrying?!"

"Uhhh.." Rhys was at loss of words, unable to come up with any excuse as to why Loader Bot was carrying a random person, before Vaughn continued: "Rhys, answer me or I'll have to contact your father immediately and tell him about your "occasional" running out of the village unnoticed and unprotected."

"Oh huh, that's... Of course, that's my... my.. my future husband. August! You remember him, right?" Rhys spat out such a lie, he didn't even believe it himself. Vaughn looked at him puzzled before asking: "August? Then where are his guards?" That little light of hope Rhys had became a wildfire, at least for a second or two.

THERE ARE NO GUARDS. THIS IS NOT AUGUST.

"LB, why?" Rhys looked at the robot, faking his hurt expression for the sake of making the robot feel guilty. He should know better than that, the robot didn't fall for his tricks anymore.

I AM ONLY DOING THIS FOR YOUR SAFETY. I RECOMMEND PUTTING THIS HUMAN INTO CUSTODY FOR THE TIME BEING.

Rhys looked at Vaughn, pleading eyes meeting annoyed ones. "God, I wish I didn't have to do this. You'll thank me later, prince." Vaugh said with as much calmness in his voice as he could. Rolling his eyes at the nickname, Rhys managed to let out: "I'll come by later. You know, when I get dressed... and stuff."

YOUR NEWEST AND ONLY ADDITION TO THE PRISON WILL BE WAITING.

* * *

  
  
"I can't believe he did it again. How many times do I have to tell him that just "bolting away" like that will get him in trouble? And he's so stubborn, too. Is he ever going to take my advice before doing something stupid?" Vaughn cursed the boy for over half an hour now, waiting for him in the prison along with the robot, the prisoner already locked in the see-through glass room.

I'M AFRAID I CANNOT CALCULATE THE PROBABILITY OF THAT.

"No, you don't have to... I'm just.. at edge, that's all. I mean, you're saying it's really soundproof?" He questioned the robot, "It feels like he hears everything we say."

YES, THE ROOM IS SOUNDPROOF. THE PRISONER WON'T HEAR US UNLESS WE WANT HIM TO.

Vaughn still wasn't sure, maybe it was his personality, or maybe he just didn't trust a prison that has held less than 30 prisoners before. "Are you also saying that we can't hear him either?"

THAT'S CORRECT

"Okay.." he looked at the man on the other side of the glass wall, his body lying on the floor. He'd think the man was dead, probably from Loader Bot's not so gentle manhandling, but he seemed to be breathing, occasionally scratching his head. Yeah, he was just asleep. "Can you go check if Rhys is on his way?"

The robot made his way out of the room without a word, Vaugh looking at the door closing too slow for his own taste. He sighed, cleaning his glasses before rubbing his eyes from exhaustion. It's been a long day for him, with the preparation for the ceremony which was in less than two weeks, and now this. He had yet to ask Rhys how he found this man, or why he even decided to bring him here.

Just as he put his glasses back on, he saw something in the corner of his eye. He froze in his spot once he saw the prisoner standing at the other side of the glass wall, his muscular arms resting at his side, his blue and green eyes staring right at the scared expression on Vaughn's face.

He didn't realize before just how small the room felt, or how small he was compared to the guy across the room, he almost forgot to breathe before the man began speaking.. at him. Of course, he couldn't hear anything that the man said. He didn't even remember there was a button that would allow him to hear it, he just stood there like a lost sheep.

A quick and familiar knock on the door brought him back to reality, his eyes moving from the intimidating man to the opening door.

"Oh, uh, hey. He's awake! What a surprise. He's been talking at me for a while now." Vaughn let out as quickly as he could with Rhys barging into the room, Loader Bot trailing behind. "And what did he say?" Rhys asked.

Shrugging his shoulders, Vaughn answered truthfully: "I don't know, that's why I said he's been talking _at_ me."

THE HUMAN SEEMS BROKEN, SHALL I DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

"LB NO! We can... we can handle this, okay?" Vaughn laughed awkwardly at the robot. A poke at his side made him glance at Rhys. "But he's not wrong. Why is he just looking at me like that?" Rhys asked when Vaughn finally took a look at the prisoner.

The man's eyes were wide open, he had this expression on his face, it was strange and unexpected to see on him. His eyes met with Rhys', and Vaughn would swear to Oya the room was filled with tension. What kind? He didn't even know himself.

The man opened his mouth once again, now talking at Rhys. Without a second thought, Rhys said: "Huh, he's talking again. LB, can you check what he's saying?"

The robot moved towards the left side of the glass wall and pressed the red button. The sound of nonsense gibberish filling the whole room. The man couldn't find his words, that's what that sounded like: "He... hot damn..."

The robot released the buttom, the prisoner's words fading into silence. "Well, that didn't help us at all." Vaughn let out.

I HAVE AN IDEA.

"Whatever it is, it better be useful." Rhys rubbed at his temple, slightly annoyed that the man could not form whole sentences. This would've been way easier the other way.

I CAN SCAN HIM, PREFERABLY WE WILL FIND ALL THE INFORMATION WE NEED ABOUT HIM.

"Of course! Why didn't we come up with that earlier?" Vaughn jumped in excitement, however Rhys wasn't so psyched about this. He only watched silently as the robot scanned the man on the other side. Just as he was about to say something, the robot beat him to it.

UH OH

"What?" Both Rhys and Vaughn asked.

THERE IS A PROBLEM. I CAN ONLY ACCESS HIS EMOTIONAL STATE. HIS NAME, HIS WHEREABOUTS, AND ANY OTHER SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MAN ARE BLOCKED FROM MY SYSTEM

"O-okay. So, now what?" Vaughn asked first after a minute of silence. Rhys didn't seem to be fazed by this, like he expected it. He knew the robot wouldn't have all the information in the world, after the damage he's been dealt. Rhys looked at the yellow robot standing next to him, deep in thought. Finally, he asked: "Loader Bot, what is his emotional state?"

"How's that going to help us?" Vaughn questioned Rhys, unable to think of any use for that information. Shrugging his shoulders, Rhys answered Vaughn's question: "I don't know, but we have to start somewhere. He doesn't look like the type of person that can't talk, even if his life depended on it, so I'm thinking that there's a reason why he's acting like a total mess."

"Makes sense."

HIS CURRENT EMOTIONAL STATE IS: 4,5% HUNGER, 5,5% ANGER, 10% HAPPINESS, 20% CONFUSION, 60% AROUSAL

The room was filled with silence, all of them looking at Loader Bot, including the prisoner. "Oh," Rhys whispered after a while, his eyes widening at the sudden realization "oh no."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, turns out Rhys is some kind of royalty, huh. Sorry if all the land of *insert name of a deity from a completely different belief here* seems confusing, I've always loved learning about different gods and goddesses from around the world and I wanted to somehow implement them in this story, if only for the story-telling and not using them as actual characters. I wanted to give LB some background story, too, so I hope you didn't mind that. I will try to explain Rhys' position in this story further in the next few chapters. :)


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, maybe going down to the river that day to let out some tension from his body (in the form of electricity) wasn't the best idea, but a guy like Rhys has gotta do what he's gotta do, even if it severely damages someone else's brain.

"God, why does this have to happen to me?" Rhys shook his head, regretting every decision he's made in his life that led him to this very moment. Besides him, with a soft smile on his face, Vaughn chuckled: "What are you talking about? I mean, the guy doesn't look half bad." With a sigh and a frown, Rhys responded: "I'm not talking about that. I just... I think I might've done something to him... specifically his brain."

"What... what exactly did you do?" Vaughn asked his friend, suspiciously eyeing the taller man. He was frustrated, that's all that Vaughn could see on the man's face.

"Like you don't know that every goddamn month I have to let my energy out otherwise I'll act like a flying squirrel high on cocaine." Rhys let out. Okay, so maybe this was partially his fault as well. However, he couldn't help himself but ask: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Rhys let out a groan, unable to understand why his friend didn't see the obvious: "You were busy with the goddamn preparations for the stupid ceremony and I didn't want to bother you!"

"And what about LB? Or literally anyone else?" argued Vaughn, his point clear but Rhys was too stubborn to admit it. Without another word, Rhys made it clear he wasn't intending on continuing this fight. Vaughn let out a sigh before he rubbed his eyes behind his glasses from exhaustion: "Ugh, you know what. Let's just forget this happened. I still have places to be, people to see and wedding slash ceremony to help organise."

Yeah, that. Rhys could only wish that his father would realise he's made a mistake, or August would come out with the truth that he finds Rhys disgusting and would rather be with Sasha, or something entirely different would happen that would get the wedding cancelled. He didn't want to get married, he still had so much to do in his life, he wanted to explore the world, even other planets. Not stay here and act like he's the goddamn saviour of the land of Oya.

Lost in his toughts, Rhys looked over to the man behind the glass wall, who seemed to finally take his eyes off of him and stared at Loader Bot. Vaughn seemed to have enough of this, so he decided to leave the room. Before doing so, Rhys stopped with a simple questiom: "What about the other problem that's here with us?"

"I don't know, you deal with him. You brought him in, so just... talk to him or something."

"Great." Rhys groaned, both Loader Bot and the prisoner watching him carefully. Seriously, he needed to get a name out of the man, he hated calling him a prisoner.

Rhys looked at the robot, giving out more of an order than a plea: "Loader Bot, give us a minute?"

I WILL BE WAITING OUTSIDE

The door closed after the robot left, leaving only the prince and his new admirer alone in the room. Rhys paced a few times from one side to the other, unable to think straight. 'Okay, Rhys, you can do this. You're the prince of this land, born from the thunder storm, brought to this world by the goddess Oya, the protector. You're not a coward, you're not afraid of talking to people anymore, you can do this.

The man suddenly knocked on the glass wall, bringing Rhys out of his motivational thoughts. He hesitantly moved towards the button that would let him hear the man and vice versa. As soon as he pressed it, the room was filled with the man's husky voice: "As much as I like seeing you walk around the room like that, which is honestly the best way I could spend my time while being locked here, I'd like to spend it.. you know, outside this room. Somewhere more cosy, with a lot of food to eat and things to do, preferably with you by my side."

"Huh, and here I thought I fried your brain to the point where you can't even talk." Rhys said quietly, mostly to himself, but the man must've obviously heard something. "What was that, cupcake? You talking about me? Of course you are, who else would you be talking about. I'd be really surprised if you weren't. Like, there's so much to talk about when you have me in mind. For example my great looks, my admirable personality, let's not forget my impossible achievements in life, and of course..."

"You talk too much." was all that stopped the man from continuing on with his self-praising monologue.

"What?"

"I'm sorry to say this to you, but you seriously talk too much." Rhys repeated his previous comment, louder this time. The man seemed surprised, yet hurt at the same time. His stuttering gave it away: "What.. that's no-- you can't.. that's the absolutely most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me."

"I did say sorry." Rhys let out, more apologetic than he intended. The man shook his head, his words filling the otherwise quiet room once again: "Still doesn't hurt less. Well, maybe it does, considering it comes from you." Both confused and interested by the man's choice of words. He couldn't hide the rising blush from his cheeks when he heard the man say: "Don't act so surprised, you must be getting all of the attention because of your gorgeous eyes. And don't break my heart and say that they are the first thing someone else sees every morning."

"I..." he couldn't speak properly, his words tied up in his tongue that would not leave his mouth. He didn't know what flattered him more, the fact that the man didn't even acknowledge he was talking with royalty, or that he truly found Rhys interested in his own way. Either way, he did not stop with his attempts at conquering Rhys' heart: "Guess I'll never know. But tell me, you have a name or should I just call you mine?"

"It's... uh, it's Rhys." He made an attempt not to stutter, trying his best to not let the man know his words were already getting into his mind and planting a garden full of compliments he craved to hear from him in the future. He had to remind himself to pour some water on his head to get those stupid thoughts out.

"Rhys. I like the sound of that. Well, call me Jack, or Handsome Jack, or just Handsome." Jack smirked, his heterochromatic eyes never leaving Rhys' avoiding ones. All this time, Rhys wondered if the man even knew it was him at the river. Probably not. Didn't hurt to ask him later. Right now, he just needed reassurance from Jack about one thing: "Okay, Jack. I... um, I only have one question for you."

"Which is?"

"Am I going to regret letting you out?" Rhys simply asked. The man seemed to be taken aback, as if reconsidering his options for an answer. It took him some time to actually answer the question: "Oh, I actually... have no idea. I don't even know which planet I'm on, or if I'm even alive at this point. I mean, when I saw you walk through that door," Jack chuckled loudly, "I thought I was in heaven."

"So, you're not from around here?" Rhys questioned Jack, only for it to turn into another round of flirting: "Rhysie, I don't know for how long I've been here, but I will never rock the jungle vibe as much as you."

"You didn't answer my question." Rhys said as straightforward as he could. Rolling his eyes, Jack finally seemed to understand the weight of the situation: "No, I'm not from here. I need to get back to my Helios space station. Also, that robot you got behind that door? He belongs to me."

"What?" was the only word Rhys' confused mind could form. He didn't understand any of that. 'Helios space station? Do people live in space? Also, Loader Bot belongs to Jack? That doesn't sound right.'

"What do you mean, what? What's there to not understand?" Jack spat out, a little more impatient than Rhys would have expected. He let out a soft laugh, awkward and nervous one, before giving in: "I don't know, all of it?"

"Oh, right. You must be confused as hell. Didn't even realise how a life in another world could be so...." Jack seemed to think for a second, as if searching for the right word

"Different?" Rhys helped out.

"Yeah!" Jack smiled, "God, we even finish each other sentences. Some people use sandwiches instead, mostly assholes. Speaking of which, are you planning on bringing me something to eat? I feel like I'm gonna, you know, starve to death, and it doesn't look like you're gonna free me anytime soon."

The door at the right side of the wall opened just as Jack finished his sentence. With a few steps, he was out of the room and right next to Rhys, who only now noticed that they were both the same height. If he dwelled too long on that detail, he would've missed the genuine smile on Jack's face, well, masked face. Rhys had yet to ask about that. "I have to admit, I didn't really think you were going to let me out."

"You still owe me an explanation, and I couldn't just keep you there forever. We don't do that here. So I guess you can talk about the Helium space station while we go to my friends' house? They'll definitely take you in."

"It's Helios," Jack corrected him, "And owe you? For what?"

"Not leaving you out there? Do you have any idea what happens to people who are stranded in the jungle?" Rhys wanted to say 'Nothing.', he really did, but using that in his argument definitely seemed to work on Jack.

"Hmm, good point. Lead the way, pumpkin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry it took so long to update! I haven't had time to write at all these past few days. This chapter would've been longer if my plans didn't change today, since I literally forgot it was my birthday and my dad was finally coming home so we had a lot to catch up on. I hope you didn't mind that the chapter was full of dialogue and that you actually enjoyed this interaction between Rhys and Jack. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for not posting for such a long time. I've been caught up with so many things this week that I was too tired to even write anything. But that should (hopefully) change and I'll have time to fully invest myself in writing this story. :)

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Rhys asked, surprised at the tone of his friend's voice. Fiona glared at him, then at Jack casually standing behind. "He can't stay here."

The sun was slowly setting as they finally arrived at Fiona and Sasha's house, the warm air cooling down just enough to let the trees finally rest from the hot day. People scattered back into their houses, ready for the delicious meal that would soon await them. There was a familiar smell coming out of the house, Rhys knew it all too well. He also knew how much Fiona hated being interrupted when cooking.

"Come one Fiona, just for one night." Rhys pleaded with puppy eyes, which Fiona learned to resist after the situation she found herself not too long ago. "One night? I'm not falling for your tricks anymore, Rhys. Go find someone else to annoy." She attempted to close the door, but the question she received made her stop. "What have I done to you to deserve this?"

"How about that time you found a new spieces of Glaradith in the jungle, thought it was a puppy, brought it into my house because your father didn't want you to keep it? It completely destroyed the living room!"

"Okay, that's only one."

"Do you really want me to continue?"

"No..." Rhys answered, embarrassed about the truth his friend was spilling out, "but look at him! He's not going to turn into a Glaradith!" He pointed at Jack behind him.

"I might, even though I don't know what the hell that is." Jack peeped in, his victorious smirk fading as soon as it was met with Fiona's death stare.

"Either way, Sasha won't be happy to know that we'll have yet another..." Fiona tried to explain, before her sister came into the view with curiosity all over her face: "Oooh, who's this? Rhys, is he another one of your fanboys?"

"What?" both of the men let out, surprised. "A fanboy?" Jack barked out a laugh, "do I look like a fanboy? I mean, I'd love to be all over that piece of meat, but I'm more than just an ordinary guy. I have a whole s--"

"Stock of fruit back home." Rhys interrupted before Jack could let out more than needed, mentally banging his head against the wall for saying that, and receiving those confused looks from his friends. Even Jack looked dumbstruck, before realising what the hell he was doing.

"Fruit?"

"Yeah, fruit. You know, all kinds of fruit." Rhys tried to explain, but the looks never seemed to go away. "And uh.. He's kind of stuck here, so we have to figure out how to get him back to where he came from. Or he'll lose all of his fruit."

"And where exactly is he from?" Fiona questioned, obviously not believing any of Rhys' bullshit. And he knew that. He also knew that if he didn't come up with something as soon as possible, both of them were screwed.

"A place called," he looked behind the sisters into the house, spotting only a small crystal of purple Chrysoberyl standing on the windowsill, "Beryl. You know, that place. It's in the land of Obatala." Sasha's eyes lit up with excitement, a small smile making its way up on her face. "Obatala? Where August lives?"

"Yeah!" Rhys forcefully agreed, regretting that he had to lie to his friends like this. "So, can he please stay here just for the night?" he pleaded the sisters, "Pretty please?"

He knew that if it weren't for Sasha, who was more trusting from the duo, he would have not been able to help Jack. The two con artists were found in a similar way as Jack, lost in the jungle after a fiasco in the land of Obatala. They liked the life in the land of Oya, so they stayed here. Rhys and Sasha became very close after finding out the situation the two of them + August were in. And now, it's as if they were always a part of the village. And Rhys was very thanful for that, especially in a situation like this.

Having the CEO of a very successful corporation (Rhys still had no idea in which department was the corporation successful, even after the full explanation from Jack) was something else. He decided that the less people knew, the better. He didn't want any unwanted attention on his unexpected guest. He had yet to talk to his father about this, and how they'd be able to send Jack back to his space station...or if it was even possible.

A space station. Rhys didn't even manage to think about the possible life outside this land, nevertheless this planet. And Jack lived on a space station? Which was also his? That was.... wow.

When finally let into the house, he left Jack there with the sisters to attend dinner with his father. He prayed that they wouldn't massacre Jack with questions, and that Jack would keep the act of being a fruit man from the land of Obatala. Or at least try to.

Yeah, he was totally screwed.

* * *

  
"Your mask."

"What?" Jack suddenly looked up at the woman from his seat in the living room, turning off his ECHOdevice. The woman didn't even budge, still stirring the soup she was cooking, when she exclaimed: "It's supposed to hide your identity."

"Is that the definition of a mask?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Yes, it is."

"Maybe it hides something else?" Sasha joined the conversation, shrugging her shoulders. She seemed to be in a deep thought, looking at the mask on Jack's face. She pushed herself off the wooden wall she was resting on, and grabbed one of the mugs off the counter, pouring some strange purple liquid in it.

"Like what?" Jack questioned the two, his eyes never leaving the back of the taller of the sisters, Fiona. She finally seemed to have enough and fully turned around, pointing the spoon across the kitchen at the man. "I don't know... your past? Your personality? You?"

"Come on, Fi. Give the guy some break. I think he's had enough for one day."

"Alright. But I want to know one thing. Why would our prince just suddenly, out of nowhere, care about some random fruit seller?" Fiona asked, making an emphasis on the nickname, to which Jack raised his eyebrow.

"I don't know? Maybe we shouldn't even know? Who cares! I'm hungry. Let's just keep this conversation for later." Sasha nudged her sister in the side, stealing the spoon from her hand to have a taste of the soup. Jack let out a low chuckle, exclaiming: "Sounds good to me."

But Fiona didn't seem to end it there. With her eyes narrowed at the older man, she silently mouthed: "I'm watching you."

Jack didn't think anything of the woman, even if she acted like she did. He wasn't stupid, he could see right through her. 'Not a good con-artist' he thought to himself, 'because her emotions towards others shouldn't be showing like that.' If anything, Jack was the best one of the trio. He managed the fool the boy enough to trust him and let him out? Maybe the Casanova side of him hasn't died after all. But there was such a small chance that Rhys played his cards better than Jack. He had yet to find out.

What bothered him, however, was the thing, creature, whatever it was, he saw in the jungle. It was powerful, but not in the "destroy the whole galaxy" way. It was something else, power that would lure everyone to it, even Jack. Power that would make everyone obey his commands. Power that Jack wanted, demanded.... and most importantly _needed_.

* * *

  
The morning afterwards came, and surprisingly Jack was in a good enough. Maybe it was the fact that no one has tried to kill him yet, or maybe it was the warmth in his stomach that made him slip out of the bed without an unnecessary yawn. 'Yeah, what the hell is that supposed to be? he thought.

During the night, he managed to stay only in his old yellow Hyperion sweatshirt, due to the temperature still being too hot to even compare to the one on Helios. He was glad he didn't go commando the day he got "abducted" (he still had no idea what the hell even happened, so there was that.)

After putting his pants and shoes back on, he decided it would be probably for the best to let the two girls know he was alive and didn't suffocate in the dry air during the night.

"Well, look who decided to join us. How was the night, sleeping beauty?" someone said from the living room, but Jack was too sleepy to even bother registering who was talking to him. He tiredly ran his fingers through his messy hair, giving them an answer full of irony: "Amazing. Really, can't even complain." He let out a long yawn, noticing that all eyes were on him. Including a pair of heterochromatic ones. Jack couldn't help himself but smirk at the boy, exclaiming: "However, I was a little disappointed with the lack of a certain person's body next to me. Rhysie, care to explain?"

"M-me?" the boy felt under pressure from all the raised eyebrows in the room, for a second it looked like even Loader Bot was judging him. "What... what do you mean?"

Jack's smirk only grew wider at the mess that was Rhys. During the short time together, Jack found it easier and easier to tease the boy, even if at first he was testing the waters. Before he had the chance to continue though, the harsher of the sisters interrupted him: "Ease up there, fruit man. Do you even know who you're talking to?"

"Hat lady, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Then act like it. One bold move and you won't last the day to even lie down on a bed." She threatened, or at least tried to, before Rhys stepped into the argument. "Calm down, both of you. I don't know what's between the two of you but it can wait. Jack, we need to talk. In private."

That peaked some interest in Jack. Hunger and thirst aside. Alone time with Rhysie? That's what he liked to hear.

"Not like that." Rhys groaned at Jack, or well, at Jack that couldn't stop wiggling his eyebrows and smiling like an idiot. "Please stop doing that."

IS THIS WHAT BEING UNCOMFORTABLE FEELS LIKE.

"Yes, LB, that's exactly how it feels like." They could hear from the living room before Rhys closed the door to the bedroom. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Jack asked, already lying on the bed, his hands behind his head.

"Yesterday you said you could look into Loader Bot's system, that you have the admin password." Rhys explained, sitting down on the bed next to Jack's legs. Jack nodded in agreement, but still seemed a bit puzzled by Rhys' words. "Right, but how will that help me in my current situation?"

"I don't know? He might have some information as to how he was even able to survive the crash, or the hayware that followed it? Maybe we can use it for something, you know, useful."

"Oh yeah, that thing. Still sucks that I don't recall ever sending Loader Bots onto a mission like that." said Jack, now sitting next to Rhys. He looked at the boy next to him, deep in thought. Rhys seemed to notice this, and so he let him know with a simple question: "What?"

"I haven't really thought about it up until now, but I don't actually know how I got here. One second I'm staring death into the eyes, beaten up with blood soaking my clothes, and the next thing I see are purple trees, red sky and there's not a scratch on me. And also, whatever that glowing thing was in the jungle." Rhys swallowed nervously in between Jack's words, "Do you people even know you have some electric creature living with you in the jungle? Like I've seen a headless Goliath rampaging through a bandit camp, a good amount of sirens, even three Vault monsters, but that? That was something completely different."

"You... you saw something in the jungle?"

"Yeah, it was like this weird blue light, had the shape of a human but I couldn't really see through it. There were these fish swimming around it, looked like eels to me but I'm not really sure. What I am sure about, is that friggin thing shocked me. Like to the point of passing out."

"And are you sure you weren't dreaming?" Rhys asked him, hoping that he would somehow manage to make Jack forget about what happened. Only a few people knew about his secret, his father didn't want the land know. Not before Rhys was on the throne, that is. With a pout, Jack looked at the ceiling and thought out loud: "Hmm, I'm not even sure. I mean, I could be dreaming right now but that's very unlikely."

"For a second I thought you were going to attempt to flirt with me again."

"I was, but it would ruin the mood." Jack said with a wink, earning a soft chuckle from the boy. "Either way, are you going to try looking into LB? I've been curious about him forever and now that you're here, I finally might get some answers."

"Anything for you, cupcake."

* * *

  
And he did. Thankfully Loader Bot didn't protest, even asking a few questions here and there before they proceeded to the actual connection.. He seemed just as curious as Rhys, who watched Jack all the time. He hasn't seen anyone try to poke inside LB for such a long time, and the way Jack did it wasn't anything like he's seen before. He used the little device he had, an ECHO device, Jack told him, and made a connection with LB. Through it, they both could see lines of codes. Occasionally, Jack would let out grunts of disappointment when he'd encounter some problems, but it was nothing he couldn't deal with.

And when the time to turn LB back on came, they sat there, in front of the robot, patiently waiting. "Jack, if he doesn't turn back on I'm going to-"

"You're doubting the Handsome Jack. Don't do that."

SCANNING FOR: HANDSOME JACK. SCAN COMPLETE. RESULTS: EX-CEO OF HYPERION. RELATIONSHIPS: ERROR. FAMOUS QUOTES: "THE MORAL IS, YOU'RE A TOTAL BITCH.", "HE DIED BECAUSE HE LIKED PIZZA.", "NEVER MEET YOUR HEROES, KID. THEY'RE ALL DICKS. EVERY LAST ONE."

"Wait, I don't remember saying the last one." Jack interrupted the robot, a puzzled look on his face. The robot didn't seem to notice, continuing listing things it was programmed about Jack.

FAVORITE PET: BUTT STALLION. LIKES: VAULTS, WOMEN WITH COWBOY HATS, GUNS. DISLIKES: CLOWNS, BANDITS, VAULT HUNTERS. STATUS: DEAD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Jack. You're a con artist now. Wow, you're so good at it. You even managed to fool one person. Yourself!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some Jack bonding with others and *actually* screaming internaly. Also, Loader Bot is still awesome. That will never change.

The room was filled with silence, the awkward one. I mean, what do you say when you find out you're dead? Or at least according to a robot which: A) you helped program, and as a CEO of Hyperion, it belongs to you, and B) it should have the most accurate data. The thought of him maybe overlooking or a small detail in the coding has occurred to Jack, but he wasn't an amateur and knew damn well what he was doing. The silence was suddenly replaced with a both strange and stupid question.

"Are you a zombie?"

"What?" Jack looked at the boy, dumbfounded to how he even came to that conclusion, "No! I'm standing right here, next to you! How the fuck did you come up with that? Like, I'm not even craving for human brains! And here you go, accusing me of being a goddamn zombie. Kiddo, you have a fucked up imagination."

"I'm sorry but... I don't know, okay? I just think that LB saying you're dead means that you should be dead."

"Excuse me?!"

"I-I didn't mean-" Rhys struggled with his words, avoiding looking at the older man next to him, "you know what I meant. There's a possibility that you were dead and came back to life." Jack watched the boy try to make something out of this, anything. "Or maybe I didn't even die. Rhysie, has that thought occured to you?"

I AM CONFUSED.

"You're not the only one, buddy." Rhys said to the robot, with a following sigh of frustration. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"Wait, didn't you say I'm the ex-CEO of Hyperion? Who's the current CEO according to your data?"

"Really Jack, is that the only thing you really want to know right now?" Rhys looked at the man, raising his eyebrow at the man's question. With a chuckle, Jack argued: "Don't judge, I just want to know what low-life decided to take the throne after me."

THE CURRENT CEO OF HYPERION IS...

"Well? We're waiting." Jack exclaimed after minutes of waiting. It took the robot some time. Rhys thought that perhaps it was because of the large amount of data that the robot wasn't used to, that's why it took him so long. But nevertheless, three of were just as confused as before, perhaps even more.

HANDSOME JACK.

"But you just said-"

"Aaaagh! This is pointless." Jack yelled out, smashing his hands against his face from frustration, groaning as the robot tried to apologise.

I AM SORRY IF I OFFENDED YOU.

"Loader Bot it's okay, you did your best." Rhys smiled at the robot, if only to brighten the situation a bit. The robot looked between the two of them, bowing down a little.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND. MY DATA SHOULD BE 100% ACCURATE. WHY.

Rhys looked at Loader Bot with sympathy. He tried his best, but still felt useless. And Rhys knew that feeling very well. He patted the robot and looked at Jack, who looked like he was in the state of jumping between reality and his thoughts. His fists were balled, and he was staring at the floor. If he had laser eyes, there'd already be a crater in the floor. Rhys chuckled at the thought.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Rhys answered, avoiding Jack's gaze with a smile still plastered on his face. From the corner of his eyes he could see Jack staring at him, but he thought nothing of it as he gave his attention back to the robot. "LB, is there anything you remember from when you were sent here, on Ayé? For example what happened before the crash?"

THERE WAS A DIRECT ORDER FROM HANDSOME JACK HIMSELF TO SENT US ONTO UNKNOWN PLANETS, IN SEARCH OF EITHER NEW MATERIAL SIMILAR TO ERIDIUM, OR NEW CIVILIZATION. AFTER THE EVENTS THAT OCCURED DOWN ON PANDORA, IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT HANDSOME JACK WOULD WANT TO FIND ANOTHER VAULT.

"And do you remember what happened before you entered the atmosphere of Ayé? How you were able to survive?"

IT HAPPENED MINUTES BEFORE WE COULD EVEN REGISTER A PLANET NEARBY. I WATCHED THE FIRST ONES, THE ONES WITH OLDER SOFTWARE. THEY ATTACKED THE FIRST ROW. WE WERE ALL PILED NEXT TO EACH OTHER, BUT IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT THEY WOULD TURN AGAINST EACH OTHER. I DIDN'T WANT TO END UP LIKE THEM, SO I TURNED MYSELF OFF.

* * *

  
"Turn it off... it wouldn't work."

"What? Why?" Rhys looked at Jack across the table, who was picking at the food on his plate. Jack gave out an honest laugh, something Rhys didn't expect at all. "Rhysie, pumpkin, you can't just turn off the rocket mid-flight. You'll get pulled back towards the planet, and end up a human pancake."

"Then what do you suggest? A catapult?" He sipped from his coffee mug, "We haven't used those in ages." Jack shook his head, a smile stuck on his face. "Maybe that robot can just throw me really high up. Who knows, it might work."

"We'll figure something out, don't worry. In the meantime, however, I have to leave you here to do my duty in this village."

"Which is what? Stand around and look pretty?" Jack joked, but for a second Rhys felt offended. However, he remembered that Jack still had no idea what position Rhys had here, and so he decided to embrace the idea.

"I wish. Would probably lure more lost zombies here." He stood up from the table, smirking at the older man. He noticed the slight change of expression on the man's face, but it still remained that soft, joking one. "For the last time, cupcake, I'm not a zombie."

"Ha, you keep telling yourself that." Rhys smiled down at Jack, but the happiness within his soon dismissed as he heard a voice behind him. "Wow, what a bunch of nerds."

"Fiona! What are you doing here?"

"Just checking on the fruit man on my break. After all, it is my house." She looked at Rhys, then at Jack, who already had his mouth stuffed with bread. "Are you two love-birds done here? Rhys, I heard that Vaughn was looking for you all morning."

"Oh shit, right. I was supposed to help him with the uh..." he looked lost, looking at Jack who had the most stupid grin on his face, "uh.. umm, I'll see you later." Jack could only watch as Rhys stormed out of the house. He looked at Fiona across the room, who for some reason couldn't take her eyes off of him. And not in the good way.

"Is he always like that?" Jack pointed at the door with the butter knife in his hand. With a scoff, Fiona walked into the kitchen, pouring some water into a glass. However, she resumed giving Jack the worst look he has ever seen. Finishing his meal, he faced the problem headfirst. "Okay, seriously. Hat-lady, you have a problem and I don't appreciate you looking at me like that."

"Don't talk to me."

"What did I do?! I'm only an innocent fruit seller!" Jack tried to reason, not even trying to lie at this point because he knew just how ridiculous it sounded.

"You can stop with the bullshit. I know you don't sell any goddamn fruit. What I'm more curious about is how the hell did you charm Rhys into helping you."

"Someone's a little jealous." He said quietly, mostly to himself, but Fiona must've heard it. "But that's a secret. I won't give you jack-shit. Get it?" He laughed at his own pun.

"Whatever." She left the house without another word, and Jack only then realised that he was alone in the house. Truly alone, no one in sight. He rubbed at his face, feeling like a wreck. And a quick look at himself in the mirror proved that. His hair was sticking out in different directions, the yellow sweatshirt hanging on his body like Jack only willed it to. He decided that today would be a great day to explore the village a little, see where he could find himself. Not after taking a good and warm shower, that is.

Feeling a bit more refreshed, Jack took in the fresh air of the jungle and took slow steps along the pathway that led in between giant trees and houses built around them. He made his way to the center of the village, a large fountain in the middle of it. There were children playing around, chasing each other and laughing like they didn't have a single care in the world.

He remembered the times when he would chase a small Angel around the apartment, her laughter booming and echoing off the walls, his wife watching them from her seat on the couch, a book in her hands. He missed those times, when they didn't care, when nothing mattered and all of them were happy.

He also remembered the time he last saw his wife, and his daughter. And he regretted doing the things he did. He wanted to move on, but deep down guilt was biting him from inside, and he knew if he didn't do something, it would probably eat him alive. That's why he would push those thoughts away as soon as they came up in his mind. Because he was scared of guilt.

I DO NOT LIKE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE. YOU WILL SCARE THE CHILDREN.

Jack scoffed at the robot standing a few feet away from him, children running around and between his metal legs. He looked up at the robot, or to be exact, his red eye. "You're different than the bots back on Helios."

IS THAT AN INSULT OR A COMPLIMENT.

"Good point, I haven't thought that through. Take it as my point of view."

YOU ARE ALSO DIFFERENT FROM THE HANDSOME JACK ON HELIOS.

"What do you mean? What is he like?" Jack asked, eyeing the robot suspiciously. It seemed to process its information for a bit before answering

OUT OF HIS MIND, MERCILESS, INCOHERENT, CRUEL, NOT HUMAN.

"Not human? You mean-"

ARTIFICIAL.

"I should've realised sooner. Damn Nakayama and his idiotic ideas. I never agreed to the project, that's why the AI is different from me. The bastard pulled his ideas out of his ass and put them into the coding." Jack gripped the edge of the fountain he sat on, boring his eyes into the ground.

I'M AFRAID I DON'T FOLLOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

"There was this lab rat, really weird guy, who was obsessed with me. His name was Nakayama. He tried his hardest to create an artificial me, to fulfill his sick fucking dreams. He still disgusts me to this day. Either way, when I disagreed to take part in the project, he must've gone crazy and probably decided to put his "views of me" into the AI. That's why he's not like me. I'm so going to enjoy strangling the living shit out of him."

I AM OBLIGED TO TELL YOU THAT HE'S ALREADY DEAD. THE AI HAS KILLED HIM AS SOON AS IT WAS PLUGGED INTO HELIOS.

"Good for him." Jack smiled, but another thought ran through his mind. "How long has it been between my "death" and him getting jacked in?"

THREE YEARS.

"Huh. That's interesting. And what about Pandora? Is it as shitty as remember?"

IT's IN A WORSE STATE. THE POPULATION OF BANDITS SUFFERING FROM THE PSYCHOTIC DISEASE ONLY INCREASED.

"What else should I expect." He chuckled, running his hand through the turquoise blue water. "That planet will never get another saviour."

I DISAGREE.

"Huh?"

THAT PLANET NEVER EVEN HAD ONE. IT WOULD TAKE A MIRACLE FOR PANDORA TO RESEMBLE SOMETHING LIKE A PARADISE. PANDORA IS PAST THE POINT OF SAVING.

"It may look like it, but that's not true. Nothing is past that point." Jack said to the robot, and it seemed like it revalued the information it was given. Jack knew that. The robots learned as they went, and he soon realised that this particular model has gone some distance. "Anyways, I'm gonna let that sink into your system and go look around some more." He stood up from the fountain, droplets of water falling from the tips of his fingers. His feet led him towards strange looking trees, which surround an area that was full of different kinds of flowers.

"Take that sour look off your face or the flowers will wither."

"What's up with everyone today?! That's just my normal face!" Jack argued, his arms crossed on his chest as he looked towards the smaller of the sisters, the only other person who was in this "garden" of some sorts.

"I know, I was just joking. Saw you chatting up with LB, it's nice to see you're not one of those people who crap their pants as soon as they see a robot."

"That's because I-" he stopped for a second, reminding himself not to say anything stupid, "I've actually seen one before."

"Oh, is that so?" Jack was glad the woman, Sasha, didn't push the conversation further, rather giving her attention towards the flowers. He looked towards the large section of weird purple flowers, they had the same colour of eridium back on Pandora, but the center was completely white.

"You know, it's really strange seeing Rhys this relaxed." Sasha said softly, joining Jack next to the flowers. "He's been stressing over everything for months. I've been stressing over everything for months."

"What do you mean?"

"He's getting married."

"Oh." Jack simply said, "that sucks." Altough he didn't let it know on the outside, it quite surprised Jack and he has this strange feeling at the pit of his stomach. He didn't like it one bit.

"Yeah, and the worst thing is that he's marrying the love of my life. And none of us can do anything about it." Sasha let out with a frown, a sigh following soon after. She tended to the flowers, but the way she did it left an impression on Jack. She may have looked soft, but Jack saw some strenght in her. Emotional one.

"You can still hope. I mean, there's all kinds of different possibilities that the wedding won't happen."

"I guess." She shrugged her shoulders, "I hope you're not planning on anything. I've seen you make googly eyes on Rhys, and for some reason that makes Fiona go nuts."

Jack laughed out loud, holding his chest. "Yeah, I noticed. I don't know what your sister has against me, but it's hilarious."

JACK, I NEED YOU TO COME WITH ME.

The two of them looked towards the entrance to the garden, and there stood Loader Bot. He looked directly at Jack, who without hesitation walked towards him.

"What's up?" Jack asked the robot, but for some reason received no answer as the robot turned around and walked away, Jack following close behind. He shrugged his shoulders back at Sasha, who only watched as the two of them left.

For the whole walk, Jack's mind was filled with thoughts about how this was it. That it was the end of this little dream, it was too good to be true and a place like this didn't actually exist. That he would wake up, bleeding on the floor, the Vault Hunters laughing down at him.

But those thoughts washed away as soon as a large building hidden in between the trees. It looked different from the buildings in the village, somehow it gave of the vibe of luxury, or perhaps even royalty. They walked towards a gate, where a few of the guards stood on their duty. Without a word, they were let through, stopping just in front of the entrance to the building. Loader Bot opened the door, pushing Jack inside and closing it afterwards.

"This is not good, nope. Not one bit." Rhys paced around the long hallway, Jack struggling to make anything out of what he was saying as he approached the boy.

"Hey pumpkin, missed me?"

"Oh no no no! You should not be here!" Rhys pulled Jack by the arm back towards the entrance. Or well, tried to. Jack didn't even budge, but rather took one look at the mess that was in front of him. "Friggin calm down! What's gotten you so riled up?"

"I uh.."

"The king is expecting you. Both of you." a woman approached them, her gaze on Rhys a bit longer than neither of them would appreciate. They followed the woman down the hallway, Jack giving Rhys a look that said "I'm really confused, what's going on". However, the one Rhys gave him said "I'm sorry for dragging you into this".

But then Jack's turned into "you look cute when you have that look". And Rhys looked at him with the "okay, sounds fake but okay". But before they could continue, they were already in front of a large door, stepping inside an even larger room, and at that moment Jack felt very tiny.

But he was soon brought back into reality when he felt a hand tugging at the sleeve of his sweatshirt, bringing him down to his knees. He didn't have the chance to take a look in front of him, but he could hear a sharp breath and the sound of someone standing up.

"Rhys, you know how I hate when you bow down to me. You're my son, not my shoeshiner. Stand up, boys."

Jack's gaze finally met with a man's definitely older than him, with wrinkles visible on his face and his hair was mostly gray at this point. What he noticed, however, was the throne behind him. And then it all clicked. The nickname, Loader Bot, how overprotective everyone was. It all dawned to him at that very moment, and all Jack could let out was a simple question: "You- you're a _prince_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! We have some drama coming up in the next chapter, I'm really excited about it. Because it's like, 50% of what the actual plot of this will be and it's just so "uuugh". Like, I already have quotes written that I want to use with the plot because it's so hilarious.
> 
> Also thank you for actually reading this and your kudos and comments! I really appreciate it! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Rhys didn't know what to say. The look on Jack's face made him want to bury himself into the ground. Or maybe shoot himself out of a canon. Of course he knew that he'd get a reaction from the man after finding out that yes, Rhys was indeed a prince. But to see the man speechless, his both his eyes and mouth open like he just heard something impossible? That he did not expect. Maybe he was just overreacting, that's what it was.

"I, yeah? I'm a prince?" Rhys said after a moment, not sure if he was reassuring himself or the man beside him. "I mean, I've been a prince ever since I can remember, right dad?"

"That's correct."

"So uh.." the room fell into silence, the CEO looking at the prince, and the king watching the men's next move. He must've been pretty confused by this situation, too. Or at least Rhys thought so. "I feel like I'm dreaming." Jack finally said.

"And why's that?"

"I mean, just yesterday I woke up in a jungle, completely alone and I had no friggin idea where I was. And now I'm standing in front of a king and a prince in a paradise." Jack threw his hand to his neck, trying to pinch himself. When that didn't seem to work, he continued, "How is this even possible. This... this is what I've been dreaming about for a waste of a planet and now when I'm standing here, it all feels too good to be true."

"Rhys, could you enlighten me on what he's talking about?" The king looked away from Jack to his son, not sure how to even comprehend what the man was talking about. Rhys almost didn't hear his father, too entranced in Jack's blissful moment. "I think he's talking about a planet his company has been trying to fix? I'm honestly not sure at this point."

"A company? A planet?"

"Dammit, I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Rhys..." the king impatiently dragged on his name, demanding answers. Rhys knew that once he let out those words, there was no coming back. He just wished he wasn't so careless with how he spoke around his father. "Right, sorry. Jack here, he's uh.."

"The CEO and president of a very successful company called Hyperion, worth billions, and a proud owner of a gigantic, dare I say very expensive space station half the size of a moon. It's an honor to meet you." Jack cut in, his grin something Rhys hasn't seen on the man yet. Maybe he didn't know him that well, but Jack was still full of surprises. Rhys didn't think he'd cover up from the shock so quickly.

"A king in his own world, huh?" Rhys' father laughed, standing up from his throne to walk towards the two. Okay, this was getting weirder with each second. His father wasn't usually like this to strangers and well, Jack was certainly one. Shouldn't he be concerned about what was Jack saying? What if Jack wasn't telling the truth all this time? What if he was just trying to bullshit himself out of his real problems? Or worse, what if he was a spy?

Yeah, Rhys should've thought this through earlier.

However, at the moment he couldn't do anything but watch the two man chat like they were old friends. Yeah, it looked as weird as it sounded. Wait, what were they talking about now? Was it robots? How the sky is an unusual shade of red? Rhys' wedding?

Oh, yeah, that.

"You see, we've been looking for the right person for so long. I mean, what do you have to do to find someone that's good enough for my son?" The king laughed, Jack joining him as he said: "Well, I have a few ideas."

"But after years, there's this guy. Another prince, from the land of Obatala. It was his mother's idea, but the deal is just perfect. I've been meaning to make a truce with them for decades and I can't just refuse." Rhys could perfectly see the way Jack looked at him for a second, as if waiting for any kind of reaction from his father's words. Honestly, he already gave up on the idea of marrying someone else besides August.

What surprised him, however, was Jack's question, "And is your son okay with that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you considered that maybe, probably, possibly, he doesn't want to marry this so-called prince? Have you even asked him in the first place?"

"Of course he's okay with that. Right, Rhys?" But Rhys didn't answer. Instead, he crossed his arms and gave his father a good ol' pout of disapproval.

"See? He agrees. And besides, the wedding's in a week. The only thing we can do is find someone else, either for Rhys or the other prince." And that's when it hit him. Hey, it's not like it would do any harm to anyone. If Jack was using Rhys to get away from this planet (how he wanted to do that, Rhys wasn't sure yet) then maybe he can repay the favour and let Rhys use him.

"What about Jack?"

"What? What do you mean?" The king asked, puzzled by his question. Rhys could do only so much to make it easier to the older man, "You said it yourself, a king in his own world. So, what's better. A king or a prince?"

"I don't..."

"Yeah, I'm not following either, princess." Jack said, studying the prince like he was a psychopath... or a genius... or both. Rhys narrowed his eyes at Jack, hoping that at least he'd know what the hell he was talking about. When he didn't, and Rhys was left with two very confused men looking at him, he could only hope the electricity in the air would clear Jack's mind, or maybe hit him in his weak spot. Kudos to Oya.

The former definitely worked, because now Jack looked like he hit the point of clarity in his mind, "Oh yeah! Your son's right about the wedding. And hey, I'm totally up for it! You see, earlier today we were discussing our plans for a possible honeymoon. We were thinking about filling it mostly with sight-seeing, lots of delicious food this planet has to offer and some, if not all of Rhys' unexplored sexual fantasies."

"But-" the kind tried, but was cut of by a very impatient Rhys: "And you said there's still a week left, which means that the search for my significant other hasn't ended yet."

"Rhys-"

"Plus August really hates me, I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with that guy."

"And we look really good together! Like two dead Claptraps!" Jack chirped in, his arm now around Rhys' waist. And honestly, Rhys was glad but still mad about the little "unexplored sexual fantasies" input. They'd have to talk about that later.

"So there's actually nothing you can do. Except help prepare the whole test-competetion-thing... whatever."

"I guess you're right. Still, you know if Jack doesn't pass the test you'll have to marry the prince, right?"

"Yeah, I'm not worried about that." Rhys waved his hand, like it was no concern of his. "Now if you'll excuse us, I need to show Jack to his guest room."

"You don't want to go break the news to your friends first?" Jack asked, a big goofy grin spread across his face. Okay, just a few second to keep up the act, then they'd be out of there. "Sure, we could do that. See you later, dad!"

And they were out of there, the doors closed and Rhys immediately glared daggers at the idiotic ex-CEO next to him, "What the fuck Jack?! Unexplored sexual fantasies?! You think I'm fucking 18? You think I've never had sex before?"

"No, I don't think so low of you. I just don't think you've had it with anyone like me before."

"And I think that you're full of bullshit and are actually bad at it. But I'm too stubborn about what I think so I'm not going to prove my theory any time soon."

"Come on! What else will we do on our honeymoon?" Jack shook Rhys' shoulder as they made their way back into the village. Rhys noticed the villagers giving them odd looks, especially Jack, who was still in a good mood despite their conversation.

"I'm really starting to regret getting the idea of marrying you. You know that I'm not actually doing it for my sake, right?" Rhys said, a bit quieter so only Jack could hear him.

"Yeah, I talked to that friend of yours. Sasha, was it? She's gonna piss herself when she finds out." Jack snickered, following Rhys towards Fiona and Sasha's house. Yeah, she definitely was going to have some kind of reaction, Rhys just hoped it was a good one.

It was past noon when they finally arrived at the little house, Rhys knocking twice on the door, only to hear a loud, "Come in!" from inside. Good, they were home.

"Rhys, you need anything?" Fiona asked, seated behind the table, eating what looked like Glaradith meat with some potatoes. Vaughn sat next to her, his plate already empty. Sasha came out of the kitchen, taking the empty plate from the table when Jack decided to break the news. "Kiddos, I know this is gonna sound nuts. And believe me, it is, but this guy right here, this piece of candy," Jack grabbed Rhys by the shoulder, shaking him with as much excitement as he could, "well, Rhysie and I are getting married!"

Okay, Rhys did not expect _that_ kind of reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's a shorter chapter than the previous ones, I just wanted to finally get to the good part of this story. The next few chapters are going to be more fast paced, since I don't want to have like 40 chapters of them doing the same thing.
> 
> I'm currently writing another rhack story, which has only 2 chapters left to write so I'm going to focus on that first before getting back to this one. I hope you understand my decision and I certainly hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it. :)


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